Paint It Golden
by astridhong17
Summary: Summary: What if you would stumble upon a starving vampire on your way home one night? Would you let yourself be hypnotized by his intense golden gaze and his unearthly beauty? “What is this? I can’t seem to look away."
1. Chapter 1

**Paint it Golden**

_Summary: What if you would stumble upon a starving vampire on your way home one night? Would you let yourself be hypnotized by his intense golden gaze and his unearthly beauty? "What is this? I can't seem to look away. Though in the back of my head, my conscience keeps pestering me to look away and run for safety."_

"Saki-chan!" a chirpy voice yelled towards the figure sitting on the hospital bed, her blonde hair swaying from her running speed.

"Shhh...!" a nurse chastised the loud blonde. "If you don't lower your voice, I might be forced to throw you out of this hospital."

"Okay, okay." Ino sighed, sitting on the foot of the bed facing her bestfriend and waited for the nurse to turn around and leave. "Sheesh, she must be PMSing."

Sakura looked over at her bestfriend and couldn't help but laugh at her exasperated expression, her long petal hair framing her face. She and Ino had been bestfriends since as long as they could remember. Ino was the one who defended her from their classmates who bullied her because of her abnormally large forehead and her unusual hair color. Sakura remembered the day they first met...

_Flashback: _

_Sakura huddled closer to the corner of the room as the mean kids closed in on her. They had mischievous grins pasted on their faces._

"_Look at her," the leader of the bullies said, pointing a finger at her. "Her forehead is so wide that insects could use it as a landing zone."_

_The others laughed then one stepped forward, a girl with purple black hair, Ami. "And her hair is _pink_!," she declared matter-of-factly. "She could be a curse sent here by the monsters!"_

_The bullies gasped in horror at what Ami said. There was a story in their village that someone born with unusual traits would bring havoc to their land and would attract danger to whoever ventured close to her. They started picking up pebbles and threw them at her. The pebbles made way to rocks._

"_Itai...it hurts...Okaa-san, help," the six-year old whimpered as fresh blood flowed from a gash on her head where a reasonably large rock had made contact. She closed her eyes tightly and wished that she would fall unconsious soon so she won't feel any more pain._

_Suddenly the rocks seemed to stop hitting her. "Who are you? Get out of our way!" the leader shouted._

"_And let you have your way with this poor girl? I don't think so.", a feminine voice intruded Sakura's hearing._

_A bully spoke up, his voice shaking with fear and recognition. "Th-that's...that's Yamanaka Ino!"_

'_Yamanaka?' Sakura thought she heard that name somewhere. She looked up to see long blonde hair flowing with the wind and a body of a young girl her age shielding her from the mean kids._

"_The heiress of the famous and dangerous clan of vampire hunters."_

_Ino smirked, "I'm glad you know me.", she turned around to help the bloody Sakura up before flashing an eye to the group of children. "If you touch this girl again, I'll make sure you'll lose some important limbs, got that?"_

_End of Flashback_

Sakura giggled at the memory. Pretty harsh words to escape a young girl's mouth, right? But, yeah, Ino said that. After that, they became bestfriends and no one could even separate the two. Now, fourteen years later, still nothing had changed between them. Well, except that men now horded in front of both of their homes, and they have jobs now! Sakura was a top graduate of her batch in their medical school at the young age of eighteen and trained under the world-renowned physician, Tsunade, and she even went to work overseas in America and England for two years. She now practiced alongside the Godaime Tsunade and had shifts at the Tokyo Medical Center.

Ino, on the other hand, was a professional model and also a fashion designer. Being a vampire hunter was just like a sideline for her. She often travelled with her boyfriend Shikamaru and Sakura during her fashion shows and runway exhibits. After highschool, she was hired to model for her favorite fashion magazine, Spark. She met Shikamaru, who is a professional photographer and part-time forensic investigator, there and they fell in love I guess...

"Hey, forehead-girl." Ino's voice snapped her out of her musings. "You're daydreaming again."

"Am not," she said defensively.

"Yes, you were," then Ino looked at her strangely. "or you're just turning crazy."

Sakura gaped. "Baka!"

"Anyway, how are you feeling Saki?" Ino asked, moving to pat her head.

"Fine," she stated simply. "Tsunade-shishou said she'll give her all to find a cure."

A few years ago, Sakura was diagnosed by Tsunade herself with a rare heart disease after fainting in the middle of doing her hospital rounds. Her teacher told her she would need regular blood transfusion weekly to replace old blood that's fast becoming toxic for her body. But last night her vision blurred suddenly and her chest ached and she was able to call Ino just in time before she became unconscious.

"You gave me quite a fright there. Good thing you were able to call in time." Ino said softly.

"I'm sorry I had you worried over me, Ino-chan."

"You know you have to stay strong, Saki." Ino told her sternly, as if scolding a child. "You're the only one Tsunade has got left. You're like the daughter she never had and it would cause her great sorrow if you give up on this sickness."

"Hey, who said I was giving up?" Sakura challenged with a smile.

**Lincbreak!!**

"Sakura, don't forget to take your medications okay?" Tsunade reminded her almost-daughter as she released her from the hospital.

"Yes, shishou." Sakura replied. She bowed then left the hospital.

Tsunade sighed as she watched her student walk away into the night from the window of her office. She knew she should've told her the truth the moment she diagnosed her. She really should have told her that she only had a small amount of time left if it continued like this. But, no, Tsunade told her that she would find a cure...

Because she herself didn't want to believe that truth.

...

The moon shone above the sky in all its half-moon glory. Sakura walked faster, she had to reach home as soon as possible. The last few nights, police reported that many girls her age disappeared at this part of the city only to be found the next day..._dead_. So far five women were killed and the police had definitely no idea who the suspect was or were.

Suddenly she felt her chest squeeze painfully and she stopped in her tracks abruptly. She took rapid shallow breaths and waited until her heart calmed down. When she was ready to start walking again, she noticed that several men had ganged up on her. Hiding her fear, she pressed on forward, walking as fast as she can without really thinking about the way her legs shook violently.

"Hey, what have we got here.." a big-muscled man with a bandana called out.

Sakura continued walking, ignoring the five heavy-muscled men as best as she could. Then she felt a calloused hand close in around her wrist forcing her to turn around.

"Hello there, missy." The burly man breathed in her ear. "Mind if we have some fun tonight?"

Sakura would have screamed but the man clamped his large hand over her mouth, muffling any noise she tried to make. So, the young doctor resorted to using physical force. She struggled against the man's hold and she could see in her peripheral vision that his comrades were walking towards them with lustful expressions on their faces. The man who was holding her suddenly cursed and threw her to the ground violently when she scratched his face.

"You'll pay for that!" he raised his big fist to strike her.

Sakura closed her eyes and waited for the blow to come but there was none. She heard gurgling noises coming from above and she raised her head to see the man who was previously holding her raised up in the air and someone in dark robes was holding the man by the neck. The gangster's allies were all on the ground, all seemingly unconscious.

"M-monster," the man gasped before he lost consciousness.

The cloaked man dropped the gangster and started to walk away without even a word. Sakura noticed that the man's hands, which are the only part of him that was exposed outside the robe, were shaking..._and very pale_. In an instant, Sakura worried that this mysterious man might have been injured in the process of saving her.

"W-wait!" Sakura called out and the man turned around, his face concealed under the hood. "I just want to thank you for saving me."

"Hn," he brought his hand towards his face.

Sakura stared at the long pale fingers and noticed that they were shaking really terribly. "Uhm...Mister, are you alright?"

"Tch."

She twitched at the man's unresponsiveness. He could be her saviour but this is just plain irritating! She stomped towards her assailant to make sure they were alright. She was still a doctor, ne? She had vowed to protect lives, even though they tried to hurt her. She checked the big burly man first. He had slight bruising on his neck in the shape of Mr. Monosyllabic's fingers. He would probably wake up soon. When she went to the others, however, she felt her blood go cold. On their necks were bite marks in the shape of fangs. _Vampire fangs..._ But there weren't any beings present at the place aside from the five gangsters, Sakura and... Her line of thought trailed off and she was suddenly aware of the mysterious man's eyes observing her from where he stood.

Slowly, she turned around and faced the man. "What are you?"

"You already know what I am." Mr. Monosyllabic answered. It was the first time Sakura heard his voice and the cold baritone sent shivers down her spine. "but I didn't kill them, don't worry."

"Nnnggnn...." the sound came from the gangster with the bandana

"Seems like he's stirring." The man stated. "We must go now."

"H-Hey!" Sakura shrieked as she was grabbed by the man and everything was a blur to her, Before she knew it, she was on solid ground again. The wind was tickling her face.

"Where are we?" she asked.

"It's funny how you don't recognize the view from your own rooftop, Sakura."

Sakura flamed. She could practically hear the smirk on his voice! "How did you know where I live!? And you know my name too! Were you stalking me?" She meant it to be a wild guess, far from the truth. But when the man suddenly turned away from her, she just had to gape. "So you _were_ stalking me!" she accused.

"I was merely...observing you." He said simply.

"Oh?" she raised her eyebrows.

"Yes. Aren't you afraid of me?"

"Why would I be? It's not like you're thinking of eating me or something." She plopped herself on the roof.

"Hmm...you don't know what I'm thinking of doing right now." He hovered over her small figure as he was still standing.

Sakura gaped then huffed. There was that 'smirk-in-the-voice' thing again. Then her gaze went to his visible hands again. They were shaking more violently now. Much stronger than before. Then realization hit her like a truck. "You're thirsty."

The hands clenched into tight fists. "That fact alone should make you run away in fear now."

"But, really, I'm not afraid." She stood up and stepped closer to him. She saw him flinch when she extended her arms toward him but, nevertheless, he didn't jerk away from her.

Her fingers brushed the rough material of the hood of his cloak. She didn't know why but she just wanted to see his face and she had this overflowing desire to help him. She gently tugged the material down and soon she was staring at the deepest onyx eyes she had ever seen in her entire life. She felt she had gazed to similar pools before.

"Who are you?" Sakura blurted her mental question.

"Uchiha Sasuke." He whispered softly but he knew she wasn't exactly asking for his name.

"Why do I feel like I know you?" she didn't know why but tears were threatening to fall from her emerald eyes.

Arms snaked around her waist to pull her closer and soft silky ebony locks tickled her face as Sasuke buried his face in her neck and she shivered when his warm breath touched her neck. "You clearly have no idea what you're doing to me, Sakura." He whispered in a strangled voice.

"Bite me, Sasuke-kun." Sakura wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him closer and tilted her head to one side to give him more access. "Drink my blood and ease your suffering."

"No!" he pulled away suddenly as if burned.

Sakura lowered her gaze at the rejection that she felt. There were really so many emotions that she was feeling right now. Heck, she barely knew this man...err vampire...and yet she would be willing to go as far as letting him bite her just to quench his thirst. It was just confusing.

When he saw the hurt in Sakura's eyes, he mentally berated himself for his rash actions. "I won't forgive myself if I hurt you." His voice was a lot softer now as he cradled her face between his cool hands.

"Please, Sasuke-kun, if it makes you feel a lot better." She pleaded. Wait, why was she pleading for him to _bite_ her? She didn't know. "Think of it as my thanks for saving me earlier."

She pulled him close again and Sasuke just couldn't help it. She was so intoxicating. He buried his face in her neck again. He felt like his body was burning right now and he knew that he just had to sink his teeth on her neck and the needles in his throat would disappear completely.

"Go on, Sasuke-kun. Don't worry, if it hurts too much I will make you stop." She tried to reassure him but she knew that she was nothing against his strengtn. And if he decided he would kill her, she could do nothing against him.

Sasuke would've snorted if not for his throat burning painfully for blood. _Her_ blood. He felt his fangs extend as he opened his mouth. Once again, he wrapped his arms around Sakura's waist and held her tightly, protectively..._possessively_...then he placed a chaste kiss on her neck before sinking his fangs swiftly and expertly breaking the delicate flesh of her neck.


	2. Chapter 2

Paint It Golden Chapter 2

_Once again, he wrapped his arms around Sakura's waist and held her tightly, protectively..._possessively_...then he placed a chaste kiss on her neck before sinking his fangs swiftly and expertly breaking the delicate flesh of her neck._

It felt like it was just a prick of a needle. She didn't really feel any repulsive pain, instead there was something akin to a dark passion building at the pit of her stomach at the feel of Sasuke sucking her blood. She began gasping at the sensation, it was breathtaking really...

Hearing her gasp and make small sounds, Sasuke immediately pulled away and looked at her worriedly. "Did I hurt you? I'm sorry. Are you alright? Tell me, what are you feeling right now? I'm sorry if you are in pain. I should've stopped myself. Damn, I never should have gave in in the first place!---" he was silenced by Sakura's fingers over his mouth.

"Shh.." she shushed him. "You didn't hurt me, Sasuke-kun," then she blushed a few shades of red. "In fact, it was almost an addicting feeling so please don't apologize. There's nothing to worry about," she smiled sweetly at him.

Sasuke was bewildered at what she said. He, a creature of darkness damned for eternity, had just taken her blood and there she was smiling at him as if nothing's happened and telling him that there's no need to worry. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah," she assured him then she yawned. "But it sure takes a lot of my energy."

"Right. You should rest now," Sasuke mumbled. He gently gathered her in his arms and leapt off the roof to her front porch, carrying her bridal style.

They just stood there in an awkward moment in front of her house. Neither said anything and they just stared at each other. Sakura didn't know when they would meet again so her eyes took in his appearance greedily. His silky raven bangs which were like a chicken's butt and were surprisingly very soft, his oddly familiar onyx eyes, his pale complexion, the aristocratic shape of his nose and chin, and his full red lips. She still remembered the feeling of those lips against her neck and she blushed madly at the mere thought.

Sasuke smirked when she blushed. _'After all these years I still have this effect on her,' _he thought. And before he knew it he had her in his arms once again, kissing her passionately.

Sakura felt blood rush up to her face when she realized what Sasuke was doing. She closed her eyes,tangled her fingers in his hair and she immediately responded to the kiss with all her heart. She felt a strange emotion well up in her heart, and she felt like she knew Sasuke somewhere...or maybe it was from another time. She didn't know. She honestly didn't. But, even though one might think it was too early for such, Sakura realized she was in love with this man.

When they broke the kiss, both were panting from lack of air. Sakura smiled at Sasuke, and the Uchiha smirked in return. Sakura invited him in and, since it was still relatively early (it was still 8pm), offered to cook dinner. She left Sasuke to watch TV in the living room as she busied herself in the kitchen.

The young doctor decided to cook tomato soup and onigiri and also shrimp ramen for them. She was slicing the tomatoes when she felt Sasuke's breath against her neck and his arms wound around her waist from her back. "Thirsty again?" she inquired, always ready to give him her blood.

"No..no, love," he inhaled deeply. "It just smells so wonderful to me."

She twisted around to stare incredulously at the vampire who was hugging her from behind. "What does? My blood?"

Sasuke gave her a dashing smirk that made her stomach feel funny. "That..." his smirk widened. "...and also the tomatoes." He reached for a piece of sliced tomato around her and popped it to his mouth. "Hmm...delicious."

"Hey, I need you to not eat the tomatoes until after I put it into the soup, okay?" she raised an elegant eyebrow when Sasuke gave her the puppy dog eyes. "That won't work on me, Sasuke-kun. Please go back to the living room for the meantime and I'll just call you when the food's ready."

"Okay," he agreed and went back to the living room to watch Spongebob Squarepants.

After a while, the food was prepared and they ate in silence. It was really a wonder to Sakura why she seemed so at ease with Sasuke as if she knew him all her life and not for just a few hours. Turned out, tomatoes were Sasuke's favorite and tomato soup was one of his favorite dishes. Sakura only ate onigiri and ramen because Sasuke seemed to be really overprotective of his precious tomato soup. Then it was time for her to sleep because she still had her shift early in the morning the next day.

"I really don't want to see you go tonight." Sakura confessed., her eyes remained on the floor as she refused to meet his eyes.

"I will stay if you want me to."

Sakura whipped her head up so fast she had a whiplash. Her brows furrowed in frustration as she massaged the area on her neck. "Are you sure you don't mind? I mean, am I not getting your time?"

"It's okay," Sasuke reassured her. "I've got nothing planned to do anyway."

"Thanks!" then Sakura ran upstairs to her room to sleep, content that her vampire friend wasn't going anywhere tonight.

Sasuke sighed and sat down again on the soft cushion of the white couch in Sakura's living room. It had taken him all his willpower not to blurt out everything to her and tell her how much he missed her. If he did, she might think he was deranged or something and kick him out. Then a smirk graced his features when he remembered what had transpired earlier.

'_Her mind might not remember me, but her heart does._' He thought. '_Just wait, my cherry blossom, you and I will be together again._'

Sakura groaned as the sun's rays attacked her eyes and she rolled to her side to bury her face on her warm pillow. But then, her warm pillow _moved_! Eyes still closed, she furrowed her eyebrows. Since when did pillows move? Green eyes fluttered open and her eyes went wide when she saw that she was not alone in her bed.

"Aaaaaah!!!!!!!!!" Sakura's scream echoed across the room that was slowly being bathed by sunlight. She kicked the other person sleeping on her bed.

Sasuke landed face first on the floor. He growled deep in his throat, besides we all know that our dear Sasuke-kun isn't a morning person right? He's a vampire afterall. A dark and menacing aura surrounded him as he pushed himself off the floor.

"Sa-Sasuke-kun..." Sakura trembled as she saw his eyes bleed red. She moved closer to the wall as she saw Sasuke climb back to bed.

Almost absent-mindedly, Sasuke grabbed Sakura's wrist and laid back to the soft mattress so that Sakura's head was resting against his chest and his arms were holding her in place. Sakura could only gape at him as he gave her a lopsided smile and his eyes returned to the onyx depths that she was so familiar with before closing them again.

Sakura, cautious of her movements, looked over to the other side of the bed to the bedside clock. It read 6:02 am. She needed to get to work soon if she didn't want Tsunade to fry her alive. She gently tapped Sasuke on the shoulder but the sleeping vampire didn't budge from his slumber.

"Sasuke-kun," Sakura said his name warningly. "I still have to go to work." No response.

Eyebrows twitch.

Poke. Poke. "Sasuke-kun." Poke. Poke.

Grab. Glare. "Sakura, stop poking me."

"But, Sasuke-kun..." Sakura whined. "How can I stop poking you when you won't even wake up? If I am late------."

"Take the day off then." But Sakura continued on her babbling.

"If I am late for even 5 minutes, Tsunade-shisou would fry me then my job would----------- " then she stopped when she realized what the Uchiha had just said. "Sasuke-kun, since I am always so sick, my days off are all used up already."

* * *

A/N: Guys, sorry if it is crappy! This is my first fic so please be gentle... o

Feel free to send me your requests!... n_n


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note**: Sorry for the late update! My apologies, really. Got hold up with Chemistry..ugh! we don't have sembreak!! T__T..so please bear with me...^_^

Thanks to **Tiger Priestess **and **animeandvampslover18 **for their reviews!

anyway, I hope you enjoy this new chapter!

* * *

Paint It Golden Chapter 3

Sasuke tensed at what Sakura said. What? She's sick? Sick from what? "Sick?" he asked, his eyes opening and glaring at nothing in particular.

"Yes." She fiddled with her fingers. "I have this unusual heart disease and my blood is slowly becoming poisonous for me." She looked up to see Sasuke giving her a look. "Tsunade-shishou is researching for ways to cure me so there's no need to worry."

Sasuke scoffed. "Who said I was worrying?" He, then, deftly changed the subject. "You said that your blood is becoming poisonous for you."

"That's right." She said, urging him to continue what he had to say when he hesitated.

"Then how come it tasted so wonderful?" the vampire said, unusually timid. His head jerked up when he heard Sakura's melodious laugh.

"Sasuke-kun," her hand reached up and cupped his face. "you're a vampire, and any kind of blood would taste good to you may it be poisonous or not."

"I think that's where you're wrong." Sasuke leaned in and rested his head on her shoulder, inhaling deeply and taking a whiff of her scent. "Yours was the sweetest and the most quenching I've ever tasted in my whole existence."

Sakura could feel her heartbeat quicken as Sasuke nuzzled her neck. "Sas—Sasuke-kun," she almost moaned out.

"Hmm?" Sasuke breathed in against her pulse.

"I—i'm gonna be late for work."

Sasuke abruptly stopped what he was doing and released the flustered pink-haired medic and let her get ready for work. They grabbed a quick breakfast of toast and butter before Sakura headed off.

She paused on her way out and turned to Sasuke. "Now Sasuke-kun, I'll be back before lunch so we can eat together. How's that?" she asked and smiled when he nodded. "I'm leaving now and please don't burn the house while I'm away, ne?"

Sasuke suddenly smirked and stood up from the kitchen chair. Sakura stared at him curiously as he walked over to where she was standing. "I'll walk you to the hospital." Then he opened the door and stepped into the sun-soaked streets, leaving a gaping Sakura.

He looked back at her when he noticed she wasn't moving at all. "Hey, you'll be late if you keep staring at me." His smirk widened when she stumbled out of her door and fumbled the locks. He walked back to her and snatched the lock from her and proceeded to shut the door safely. Sakura was still gaping at him.

"You're going to the hospital with me?"

"I'm goint to the hospital with you."

"In broad daylight?"

"In broad daylight."

"B-but you're a vampire!"

"What else could I be than that?"

"Won't you turn to ashes?"

Sasuke sighed, grabbed her hand and started their way towards the hospital. "Psh, that's so old-fashioned, Sakura. I won't turn into ashes. I'm not even afraid of sunlight!" He rolled up the sleeves of the black cotton sweater that he wore under the cloak the night before (a/n: he didn't wear the cloak right now. He left it in Sakura's home.). "See?" he asked when nothing happened to his pale arms.

"Okay." Sakura breathed in a sigh of relief. "That's good to hear."

They continued on their way in complete but comfortable silence with Sasuke still not releasing her hand from his firm yet gentle grasp. They stopped when they reached the entrance of the hospital. Many of the female passers-by (patients, staff and visitors alike) were already ogling at Sasuke and it made Sakura a little irritated.

"So, um, I'll see you later Sasuke-kun."

"Aa," the vampire replied lazily.

"Remember not to burn up the house."

He smirked. "Yes, mom."

Sakura fumed. "Quit making fun of me!!"

"Fine, but you're forgetting something."

"Hmm? And what would it be?" Sasuke pointed towards his lips and Sakura's emerald eyes widened. "No!" she exclaimed, turning away from the arrogant vampire to hide her burning cheeks but then she just had to whip her head back to him at the next thing she heard from him.

"Okay, then," Sasuke said, dejectedly. "I'll just have to walk around and look for some woman who would spend time with me." He smirked, but was completely taken aback when she suddenly grabbed him by the collar and pulled him down so that his lips slanted over hers.

"Bastard," she mumbled against his lips. She was faintly aware of the stares that the people were giving them at the moment, but she could care less especially when all she wanted to do was wipe that arrogant smirk off his beautiful face. With that, she let herself get lost in the passionate liplock.

It was when Sasuke's hands started to wander that Sakura broke the kiss. The vampire couldn't help but growl when she pulled away from him completely. She, then, pecked on his lips briefly. "There," she said smoothening our his wrinkled collar. "I really have to go now, Sasuke-kun. Have fun today, alright?"

Sasuke sighed. "Okay, you too." He started on his way to who-knows-where and stopped to look back for a moment and called out to her retreating back. "I'll drop by your office later so we can have lunch."

"Okay, Sasuke-kun!" the medic replied and waved at him as she continued on her way to her patients' rooms.

She dismissed the giggles and the jealous stares that the female population of the hospital directed towards her since she really didn't have time to spare for that.

...

"Oi, teme!!" a tall, blond man with whiskered cheeks and bright blue eyes yelled at him obnoxiously, flapping his arms around him as if calling for help. "Where have you been last night? Jeez, if you spend the night with some random slut, you should at least give us a call or inform us so we won't waste our time worrying about you."

"Dobe," the dark man (er, vampire) muttered and made himself comfortable under the shade of a sakura tree: his favorite tree.

"Teme, my name is Naruto and not 'dobe'."the man named Naruto reprimanded not too quietly, shaking his fist close to his best friend's face.

"Tone it down, kids. Tone it down," a masked man with silver hair scolded from above the tree, his one visible eye crinkling with amusement at his students' antics before returning to the orange book in his hands.

Then the three of them settled in a comfortable silence. Sasuke had his eyes closed and his back rested against the smooth wood of the tree's trunk. Kakashi was still reading his little perveted book, occasionally giggling at whatever he was reading. Naruto was laying down on the grassy planes and was dozing off, a light trail of saliva at the corner of his mouth.

"I've found her."

It was Sasuke's voice that penetrated through the silence. It was a general statement but they knew who he was talking about. In an instant, Naruto had bolted out of his light slumber and was looking at the Uchiha with wide eyes. The blonde was gaping and was looking as if he had wanted to say something. Kakashi, however, was more calm.

"Where?" Kakashi asked.

"She lives in an apartment at the heart of the city," Sasuke answered, his eyes still closed as if remembering something. "The exact same spot where the manor of the Haruno shinobi clan formerly stood."

"Sakura-chan," Naruto , his face was shadowed and his whole body shook.

"Are you alright, Naruto?" Kakashi jumped from the tree and approached the shaking Naruto cautiously.

Naruto raised his head and revealed the big fat tears that were flowing freely from his cerulean orbs. "Sakura-chan...she was just here all along." In all his happiness, he laughed and jumped up and started go around in circles.

To any stranger, the loud blonde could be a madman. But Kakashi and Sasuke were no strangers at all. They knew that their comrade was just too happy that they have finally found their missing teammate after many centuries of searching for her. All they had to do now is make her remember and their little shinobi team will be complete once again.

"You should stop now, dobe, before anyone thinks that you are a patient from the asylum and that I am your guardian," Sasuke said.

"I am sooooo happy that we found her!" Naruto exclaimed, clasping his own hands and sighing dramatically.

Sasuke snorted, irritated by the blonde's antics (yet he was still happy to see his bestfriend happy). "Correction: _I _found her _by myself._"

"Whatever, emo-bastard," Naruto said, waving the dark teen off.

Their ninja team was complete once again after more than a hundred years. From where he was standing, Kakashi couldn't help but riminisce back when Sakura was still with them, in her kunoichi outfit and holding a kunai to defend the village from its enemies.

_Flashback:_

_Smoke from the burning buildings filled their lungs and irritated their eyes. Dead bodies of their comrades and enemies alike littered the ground. The village of Konoha that once prided itself with the best trading industry and shinobi force was literally burning to ashes before their eyes._

_Kakashi's visible eye darted from one the few remaining Konoha ninjas at the northern gates of the village. On his right, Hyuuga Neji and the weapons mistress were battling against twelve rogue ninjas. Maito Gai, on his left, had already activated the second stage of his lotus technique and Kakashi knew that his student, Rock Lee, had already done the same at the southern gate._

_He knew that more than a thousand more enemy ninjas were approaching and that their own forces were already dwindling. But they can't just give up, can they? The ninja code states that a true ninja would die an honorable death protecting his village, just as Obito and the Yondaime did._

_A loud explosion was heard followed by the screaming sound of a thousand birds of the Chidori. Kakashi shook his head. Sasuke was already reaching his limit using the Chidori more than five times in the past hour. He could see the Uchiha breathing heavily a few hundred meters away from him, with two dozen enemy corpses lying around him. The dark teen had returned to Konoha a year ago and had been reinstated as Konoha's ninja as anbu. In his left hand, he was holding a bloody Kusanagi while his right hand was shaking with the force of the previous Chidori. Blood and dirt soaked his anbu uniform. Beside him, the Kyuubi vessel's clones were engaged on hand-on-hand combat with the attackers._

_Many have already fallen. That Yamato, Chouji, Genma, and the Godaime's apprentice Shizune. Speaking of the Godaime's apprentices, Sakura was stationed at the western gate with Sai, Shikamaru, Ino and many others. The western gate was the first one attacked with more than a thousand pouring in at once. Sakura was sent there immediately to heal the injured Konoha nin. The village's allies also helped. The Kazekage Sabaku Gaara and his siblings even went there themselves to assist. Temari and Kankuro were at the eastern gate and Gaara was with Rock Lee and Naruto._

_The copy nin turned when one of Naruto's clones came running at them._

_"Kakashi!" the clone yelled as it skidded to a stop in fron of Kakashi. "Naruto told me to tell you that the southern gate has already collapsed!"_

_His eyes widened at the new information and briefly noted that the clone had already vanished with a soft poof. He dodged a kunai aimed for his head and shouted at Sasuke who was being outnumbered already. "Sasuke, we need to fall back now!"_

_The young Uchiha glared at the enemies and slashed at two of them before throwing a kunai with an explosive tag to the ground and took off with Kakashi. They reached the heart of the village in a matter of seconds to find that almost everyone was there._

_"The eastern and southern gates have fallen." Rock Lee reported, clutching his bleeding arm._

_"So we have heard. We were being outnumbered at the north too," Neji replied._

_Kakashi scanned the area. Something was off. Almost everyone was there. _Almost._.. "Where are Sakura and the others?"_

_Sasuke's eyes widened upon realization that their pink-haired teammate was not with them. "Shit." But before he could run off to the general direction of the west, the ground shook violently and all of them fell to the ground. They heard a series of explosions before everything seemingly went all quiet. The battle cries and the sound of metal hitting metal were gone._

_Not minding the awkwardness of the situation, Sasuke bolted to his feet and ran to the western gates. That was were the explosions came from and he was so sure that Sakura was the one who caused the earthquake. Kakashi's eyes followed him as the copy nin stood on his feet and ran although on a much slower pace than the Uchiha._

_When they arrived at the scene, however, they weren't expecting what they saw. Sai's motionless body laid on the ground. Ino was clinging to a battered yet alive Shikamaru, crying her eyes out. But they weren't prepared to see the other two people. The Godaime Hokage Tsunade was there, clutching a body that was strangely similar to Sakura's in the middle of a huge crater. They could see the faint glow of the Hokage's healing chakra as she desperately tried to heal the owner of the body. Sasuke cautiously approached the two and his knees almost gave out when he confirmed that it was indeed Sakura Tsunade was holding._

_End of Flashback_

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**Author's note: **ugh, the flashback is really difficult to write (especially when you're trying to think of different scenarios at 2 in the morning!) I just hope you enjoyed it! Don't to review! It is much appreciated and it motivates me to write faster.. ^_^


	4. Author's Note

Disclaimer: If I owned Naruto, there would already be LOTS of Uchiha babies with green or black eyes and chicken butt styled pink hair running around Konoha and annoying the hell out of Naruto.

**Sayuki-chan:** Tasukete, minna! I really need your help. What to do with the next chappies?? What to do...? *dramatic sigh* I'm suffering from writer's block and all I could think of right now is chemical formulas and anything related to chemistry... I need your suggestions so here are a few facts about the story to help you help me. ^_^

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Sakura is a doctor with a rare heart disease that causes her blood to become poisonous for her own body.

Sasuke (and some other Naruto characters) is a vampire who is not affected by sunlight.

Ino is a fashion designer and also a model. She belongs to a family of vampire hunters, but did she ever want to hunt vampires? No. Why? I already have an idea as to why but it will be revealed in later chapters. ^_^

Tsunade is aware of everything. As in _everything!_

The ninjas who attacked the village were the remaining shinobi of the village of Oto and some of the Akatsuki followers.

I don't know about the mate thingy but please help me with that.

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**Question: Should I change the rating or not? It's up to you. Vote now and whatever wins will be my decision.**


	5. Chapter 4

I'd like to thank moi readers for reading this! I love you guys! xoxo...

I'd like to thank the people who gave me their comments:

**Tiger Priestess**

**crazymel2008**

**kellimorton67**

**animeandvampslover18**

And, now, I give you Paint It Golden's 4th Chapter!!

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Sakura hummed a tune softly and proceeded to walk along the streets with her hands clasped behind her. Sasuke, who was walking slower than her, recognized the tune vaguely as the lullaby his mother sang him to sleep with. A frown marred his aristocratic features as he remembered the family he was born to just in time for the pink haired doctor to turn around.

"Is there something bothering you, Sasuke-kun?" Sakura asked, frowning her own frown. She crossed the distance between them.

He wrapped his arms around her when she reached him. "Hn," he grunted, confirming nothing at all. He kissed her forehead gently before shaking his head.

"Are you sure?" Sakura didn't sound too convinced.

Sasuke sighed. "I'm fine, Sakura." His lips travelled to her cheeks. "I'm just a little worried about you meeting more of my kind."

The medic's gaze turned soft as she stroked the vampire's soft ebony spikes. "Sasuke-kun, you said so yourself that these people we're meeting are among the few you trust. So if you trust them, I'll trust them too."

"True, but vampires are still vampires." Sasuke tightened his grip around her waist. "Creatures like us often hunt without much of a thought as to whoever our prey would be."

"But you're here to protect me, ne?" Sakura smiled up at him as his lips found hers. Her hands tangled with his hair.

He nibbled on her bottom lip and whispered, "I will never let anything happen to you again." He, then, pulled her to a rough kiss, his possessive and protective side showing again.

"I know." Sakura said when they broke apart from each other for air.

Sasuke rested his head on her shoulder and breathed in her scent. "Just promise me that you'll be careful and not trip on your feet and get a cut or something, okay?" When he lifted his head, he had an arrogant smirk on his face.

"Mou, Sasuke-kun, you're so mean!" The pink-haired woman pouted as she released herself from his hold and they continued on their way.

They were going to meet Kakashi and Naruto at the park. Well, Sasuke thought it was too early but Naruto would just bug him to hell about it. Besides, Sakura was also excited at the thought of meeting Sasuke's friends.

Sasuke looked at the girl/woman he met a week ago. The same warm smile directed towards him. The same big innocent green eyes that seemed to reach the depths of his dark soul and that same pink hair that would remind him of cherry blossoms. And that bubbly attitude that would make him smile inwardly. The same woman he left unconscious at a cold hard bench more than a century ago.

If only he hadn't been so hell bent in avenging his murdered family, he would've had time to notice a certain kunoichi's feelings. But, no. He just had to chase his brother all around the world and turn to that snake bastard Orochimaru for power when he could've become more powerful even if he stayed.

"Sasuke-kun, come on!" the medic's chirpy voice interrupted his thoughts.

His blank face twisted to an amused smirk. "Why are you so excited anyway? It's not like Kakashi is already there."

Sakura playfully smacked him on one of his broad shoulders. "Eeeh, you shouldn't talk about your sensei like that, Sasuke-kun." They entered the gates of the cherry blossom park.

"Yes, Sasuke-_kun_, you should learn to respect your elders," a new voice joined their conversation.

Sakura looked up and saw a tall silver-haired man. Half of his face was covered with a mask and a headband similar to Sasuke's covered his left eye. He had silver hair and a really muscular but lean form. He appeared to be in his late 20s but Sakura knew that he was _much_ older than that. Sasuke even told her that Naruto and Kakashi are also both vampires.

Kakashi's visible eye crinkled in amusement as he turned his attention to Sakura. "My, what a lovely girl you have there, Sasuke-_kun_."

Sasuke glared at his former sensei as Sakura giggled, "Stop calling me that, old man."

The silver haired jounin/vampire just shook his head and flopped down on the grass under the shade of a sakura tree. Sasuke mimicked his teacher and sat under another tree, bringing Sakura down with him. Sasuke wrapped his arms around her waist and Sakura rested her head on his shoulder, sighing contentedly.

Kakashi, who appeared to be reading his orange porno book, watched them from the corner of his eye and smiled fondly under his mask. He, being the one who trained Sasuke since his childhood, knew of the Uchiha's cold indifference towards other people since the Uchiha clan's massacre by Uchiha Itachi. Sasuke often drove people away, thinking that they would only slow him down and that relationships would only make him weaker. So he turned to the missing nin Orochimaru for power thus abandoning the village of Konoha and leaving his ninja team that consisted of Hatake Kakashi as the leader, Uchiha Sasuke the prodigy, Uzumaki Naruto the knucklehead, and Haruno Sakura the 'annoying little Uchiha fangirl'.

Kakashi remembered the day a hundred years ago when Naruto and Sakura dragged a half-dead Sasuke back to Konoha after he successfully killed Orochimaru and Itachi. The last Uchiha's eyes were lifeless and he didn't talk to anyone for months but everyone helped him recover. The four of them often ate out in Ichiraku, Naruto's favorite ramen restaurant, and just talk. While it was Naruto and Kakashi who helped Sasuke get back into society, it was Sakura who healed him physically _and _emotionally. That time, Sakura was already a member of the anbu, the Hokage's apprentice, one of the strongest kunoichi and most of all _he was no longer Sasuke's fangirl. _Sakura's death made him go back to the state he was after killing his brother.

"Where's the dobe, anyway?" Sasuke asked, noticing the obnoxious blonde's absence. 'So that's why it's all quiet,' he thought.

Kakashi looked up from his book and turned to his former student. "He went to get Hinata since she's in the area. I guess he got bored since we actually arrived here early."

"Hn." Sasuke grunted then turned his attention to the woman in his arms. "Is it okay if we wait here a little more? Knowing the dobe, he might be lost or something."

"It's alright, Sasuke-kun," Sakura smiled. She snuggled on his side while he caressed her soft pink hair. The peace was suddenly shattered by a loud not-too-manly shriek.

"SAKURA-CHYAAAAAAN!"

They all looked up to see a bright orange blob hurtling towards them. Sakura's eyes were wide and she was frozen out of shock. Sasuke, noticing this, quickly scooped her up in his arms and jumped onto a tree branch while Kakashi just remained where he was.

"Damn, teme. You're fast," the orange blob said.

Sakura stared at the orange blob oddly. She then looked at Sasuke to see him smirking. "Sasuke-kun, w-what is that?" she asked pointing at the blob.

"That, my dear," Kakashi began, standing up and dusting off his pants. "is Naruto."

Sakura's mouth formed an 'o' as she recognized the name of Sasuke's other friend. The blob, now known as Naruto, stood up straight with a cheeky grin plastered upon his face and formed a v-sign with his hand.

"That's right! My name's Naruto, believe it!" he shouted.

Sakura thought his grin was familiar. Naruto wore a black shirt and orange khaki pants. His blonde hair was spiky but much shorter than Sasuke's. He had bright cerulean eyes that held innocence and also wisdom (ironically), but his whiskered cheek contributed most to his childish features.

Sakura's shock was suddenly replaced by happiness (well, we all know that Naruto's bubbly attitude is contagious! ^_^) as she engaged in a lively conversation with the group. Then she noticed a dark-haired girl with pearl white eyes standing behind the loud blonde. She assumed her to be Hinata, the one Naruto was supposed to meet. Hinata had, as mentioned earlier, pearl white eyes. Her raven hair reached her waist and she had a timid stance. In general, she had the look and aura of a shy girl, what with the ever prominent blush on her cheeks.

She felt a light touch on her elbow and she turned to Sasuke who had a guarded expression on his face. "Sakura, as you already know, that is the dobe." Then he gestured towards the timid girl behind Naruto. "And that is Hinata, the dobe's mate."

Emerald orbs clashed with pupil-less eyes and Sakura smiled sweetly at the female vampire before her. She was caught off guard when Hinata suddenly hugged her, but she returned the gesture nontheless. "It's nice to finally see you, Sakura-san," Hinata whispered before pulling away and taking her place beside Naruto once again.

"Okay, now we'll go to Ichiraku!!" Naruto exclaimed, grabbing Hinata's hand and pulling her towards the general direction of the traditional ramen shop.

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So, yeah, sorry that took too long to finish. But I updated nontheless, so no need to bash me.. ^_^

If you have any suggestions or comments, just send me a message and I'll see what I can do.. :)

Please continue supporting this story and please review and maybe (just maybe) I'll be able to finish Paint it Golden on or before Christmas. ^_^


	6. PLEASE READ! VERY IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTE

Hello guys, I'm so sorry to say that my laptop AND phone was stolen last 28th of January… Like, our boarding house was broken into and to the point that 2 laptops and 3 phones were stolen along with 4000 cash!! Those bastards drilled a hole through our door...T__T.. Now, I've rewritten the next chapter of Paint It Golden, but it's still in my drafts. (It's handwritten and all.) I hope you understand. I know you're looking forward to this update, but it's just an author's note, so I'm really really sorry.

Don't worry, I'll try giving time and I shall endure typing on these unhygienic internet cafes. Thank you for understanding.

I shall post the next chapter within this month! I'm promising that it will be a filler, to make up for the many months I haven't updated.

Thank you,

Uchiha Sayuki-hime


	7. Chapter 5

Hello guys! This chapter is a filler so please don't miss it. Have fun reading ^^

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Sasuke sighed as he stared at the large pile of ramen bowls at the counter where they were sitting. Apparently, he would be the one to pay for those too. His stare turned into a glare when Naruto belched loudly and the blond dobe just grinned at them sheepishly.

He turned his attention towards the woman seated between him and the 'Ramen Monster'. She was just finishing her first bowl of beef ramen. And it was still a wonder to him how easily she can tolerate vampires like them. At first, she was a little fidgety near Naruto because his grins always showed his fangs but eventually, his cheerful and friendly nature won over and now they're acting like they're the best of friends. '_Just like before._' Sasuke mused.

"Hey, it's rude to stare," a soft voice broke through his thoughts. The Uchiha blinked twice and saw Sakura waving her hand in front of his face and smiling at him.

Sasuke caught her hand and said stubbornly, "Who says I'm staring?"

"I caught you, you know." Sakura's smile widened when she noticed that Sasuke still hadn't let go of her hand.

"Hn," came the Uchiha's smart reply. [A/N: Not the sarcasm! ^_^]

"So," Kakashi piped in form beside Naruto. "Why don't you two lovebirds tell us how you met?"

"Yes,please do tell us, Sakura-san and Sasuke-san," Hinata joined in, squeezing her way between Kakashi and Naruto, and put her plate of dangos on the countertop.

Sakura's face immediately colored a bright red as she felt everyone's attention on her. She remembered the way she was chased by the drunk men and how Sasuke appeared and rescued her…how his alabaster skin shone like silver under the moonlight.

And so, the poor little human told the story. As if she had a choice, considering there are four highly dangerous beings surrounding her. Not that they'd hurt her, right? Right?

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**LINEBREAK!**

_ There was fire everywhere, eating away the houses and the buildings that once stood tall. The great city was reduced to mere rubble in just ten minutes…and the invasion was just starting. Those who were lucky enough to survive the first attack grouped into three._

_ Uchiha Sasuke, Anbu squad leader, the only Uchiha left thus being the only person left with the sharingan, was grouped with Kakashi, Naruto, Neji, Tenten, Kiba, Lee, Shino, Temari, Kankuro Gai, Kurenai and Genma. They were assigned at the outermost wall of Konoha to ward off the rogues for as long as possible. They were the ones who were most beat up team at the moment since thousands of enemies were attacking at once. It would be roughly a hundred rogues against one Konoha/Suna nin._

_ Just a wall behind them, the medics and the tacticians were bustling around. The Hokage was probably there, lending her skills as a medic. Sasuke could also feel the chakra signatures of the Anbu's lead strategist Shikamaru, Hinata, Ino, Shizune and Sakura, along with some of their ninja patients. He smiled grimly at the thought of Sakura healing the wounded shinobi. He could feel her strong chakra spiking up from time to time. '_She must be on soldier pills,_' he concluded._

_ He, then, received a direct order from Kakashi to retreat since the enemies called for reinforcements. And that was when the earth shook in a manner so violent that it would have brought down the Hokage monument if it hadn't been brought down in the first place._

_ "Sakura!!!"_

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LINEBREAK!**

"Sakura!!!"

Sakura bolted upright upon hearing Sasuke yell her name. She turned to his side of the bed and saw him hunched over and breathing heavily. She moved to brush his ebony hair from his face but almost withdrew her hand when he visibly flinched at the contact. She was taken aback when he suddenly embraced her, almost squeezing the life out of her.

"Sasuke?" she wheezed. "What's wrong?"

Instead of answering, Sasuke held her tighter and buried his face on the crook of her neck. His memories of the past kept haunting him…his memories of that fateful day when Konoha was almost erased from the face of the earth…that same day his heart shattered to a million pieces as he cradled Sakura's limp body to him.

Sakura was confused. Sure, it was a usual occurrence when Sasuke would wake up in the middle of the night from a nightmare, but this was the first time that he woke up screaming her name. Was he having a nightmare involving her? Does it have anything to do with his past? But that's the least of her concerns now. The important thing now is for Sasuke to calm down.

She stroked his silky hair and whispered soothing words in his ear until he calmed down and stopped fidgeting. The vampire eventually loosened his grip on her and she pulled away to look at his face.

"Do you want to tell me about it?" Sakura asked softly.

Sasuke frowned, as if contemplating whether to answer or not. Then he, once again, wrapped his arms around her waist, bringing her closer to him. He brought his right hand up and traced the young woman's soft pink lips with his thumb. "I just…" he paused, unsure of what to say. "I just don't want to lose you…_again._" He whispered the last part so that Sakura wasn't sure if he heard him right.

She could feel Sasuke's (supposedly nonexistent) heartbeat speeding up as he leaned in closer to her so that they were sharing the same breath. Sakura closed her eyes, already knowing what would come next.

Sasuke slowly closed his eyes as he placed his cold hard lips against Sakura's soft ones. He just needed to feel she was there. Their light gentle kiss became more aggressive as he inserted his tongue in Sakura's mouth when she opened up for him. He could feel her hands raking through his hair as she kissed him back.

"Don't worry, I won't leave you," Sakura whispered against his lips when they parted for a moment for air. "I will always be here for you, you know."

Then she tugged on his hair and brought his head back down to hers. One of her hands travelled from his hair to his chest, dragging across his stony skin as it travelled up his shirt. She nibbled on his lower lip before kissing him fully. Then, as her tongue was probing the inside of his mouth, she came across something long and sharp. Startled, she pulled away.

"Sasuke?"

"I-I'm sorry, I'll just go out for a bit." The man made a move to stand up from the bed but was stopped by Sakura's hand. "Sakura…" he said warningly, his sharp fangs poking through his mouth as he spoke.

"I know you're not ok, and that you're weak after more than a week of not feeding." Sakura countered. She leaned closer to the vampire and cupped his face between her hands. "Sasuke, please, just do this for me. I don't want you to get sick or something."

Sasuke can't breathe properly, what with Sakura's neck directly above his lips. He could seriously smell her blood now so he decided to give in to temptation. After all, he was religiously trying to restrain himself for the past 9 days already.

He moved his hands to rest on her nape and lower back to support her as he tilted her head so he can have greater access to her neck. "Sakura, thank you," he breathed against her neck and sank his fangs. His grip on her tightened and she arched her back to get closer to him.

After some time, Sasuke finally pulled away and held her at arm's length to observe her. How can someone this beautiful, kind and fragile fall for him? A cold, emotionless vampire, damned for all eternity. He leaned on her and rested his forehead against hers while staring at her straight in the eyes, looking for any sign of uncertainty. But all he saw was contentment.

He placed a light kiss on her lips before pulling both of them down to lie down on the bed. He gathered her in his arms and said, "Let's just go to sleep."

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A/N: Hello guys! Sorry for the super ultra mega late update. At least I updated, right? That's what counts..hehe. Anyway, thanks for the readers and the reviewers who understands my situation and not demand things from me. So, thanks! I hope you liked this chapter.

Please read and review!

Uchiha Sayuki-hime


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